TOPSHOTS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting on January 6, 2013 in Jerusalem. Netanyahu said Israel would erect a new security fence along its armistice line with Syria in order to protect the Jewish state from "infiltrations and terror." AFP PHOTO/POOL/URIEL SINAIURIEL SINAI/AFP/Getty Images

Israel announced Sunday that it is constructing a border fence along the length of its armistice line with Syria in the Golan Heights and is coordinating its intelligence with the United States in light of the deteriorating security situation in Syria.

In remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Syrian army had moved away from the frontier and that jihadist forces had moved in.

"We will defend this border against both infiltration and terrorism," Netanyahu said. "I also submit to the Cabinet the fact that the Syrian regime is very unstable, that the question of chemical weapons here worries us."

He said Israel is coordinating with the United States and others "so that we might be prepared for any scenario and possibility that could arise."

Netanyahu's announcement came as he sought to reinforce his security credentials as a strong leader before national elections on Jan. 22.

Israel seized a large portion of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that overlooks northern Israel, from Syria in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move that has not been internationally recognized. The cease-fire line was established after the 1973 conflict, and though Israel and Syria are still technically at war, it has remained mostly quiet for decades.

Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in Syria, but in recent months a number of stray Syrian mortar shells crashed into the Israeli-controlled territory as Syrian government forces battled rebels across the line, prompting Israel to fire warning shots into Syria and in one instance aim tank fire at a Syrian artillery position.

But apprehension has been mounting, with Israeli experts warning that Syria is becoming a haven for Islamic extremists. Israel says thousands of Islamic militants have entered Syria to fight against forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.